


Of Staying Discrete and Being Prudent

by NicePumpkinSpice



Series: Of Sweet Memories and Guarded Moments [53]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 15:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3733582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicePumpkinSpice/pseuds/NicePumpkinSpice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cassandra warns Cullen and Evelyn to keep focused on the war - not their relationship.  Is she speaking to just them or maybe herself, too?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Staying Discrete and Being Prudent

“Thomas and I are here to relieve you. Anything we should know?” Miller asked the guards Thomas and he were replacing. 

Silas cracked a smile, “The Commander had a good night.” 

“Thank the Maker. He has barely slept in weeks.” Thomas said. 

“I don’t know how much rest he got.” Silas retorted. “ _She_ got here early.”

“You don’t have to be so base about it.” Simmons interjected. 

“I only speak the truth.” Silas said while holding up his hands. “Besides he’ll do better now that she’s here. I don’t know about you but I much prefer the Commander love drunk to stressed.”

“Are they up now?” Miller asked. “It’s almost time for morning reports.”

“No, we left that task to you.” Silas needled as Simmons and he waltzed off.

“Shit.” Miller hissed. 

Waking the Commander was rarely necessary except during particularly bad nightmares. In the exceptionally infrequent instances when he overslept, the Commander was always grateful and polite when roused. The presence of the Inquisitor complicated things. Every guard in the Inquisition knew there was one cardinal rule for keeping your post - do not wake the Inquisitor. That task was left to her advisors, inner circle, or personal assistants. At Skyhold, the Commander and Inquisitor usually slept in her quarters with the Commander leaving well before the Inquisitor emerged. On the few occasions where they stayed in his office, the Commander had always been awake in time for morning reports. 

Miller looked at Thomas helplessly, “Any thoughts?”

“Other than we’re screwed? No, not really.” Thomas grunted.

“Well, let’s just talk really loudly and hope that does the job. I don’t want to have to go in there personally.” Miller sighed.

*********************

Loud voices outside the tent woke Evelyn up. Looking at the canvas ceiling of the tent, Evelyn could tell it was already morning by the light filtering through the beige material. She closed her eyes and cuddled closer to Cullen who was still sleeping. His cot wasn’t large enough to support the two of them, so they had laid out some bedrolls and slept on the ground. She knew they needed to get up, but when they did they would no longer be Ev and Cullen but the Inquisitor and Commander. She didn’t want that responsibility today. She just wanted to feel the rise and fall of his chest, the warmth of his body, and his arms around her like they were now. _Just a few minutes longer_ she thought as she drifted back to sleep.

Cassandra stormed toward the Commander’s tent. The Inquisitor had not told anyone where she was going last night, but Cassandra felt certain she knew the answer. Now was not the time to be indulging in romantic interludes. The Inquisitor needed to finish preparing for the assault on the Temple of Mythal, and the Commander needed to be concentrating on his troops not his lover. Cassandra had told her that repeatedly on the journey from Skyhold to the Arbor Wilds. Their little trip to visit his parents had given Corypheus too much of an opportunity already.

It wasn’t that she was against romance, but Cassandra knew that it had its time and place. Now was neither. She had told the dwarf as much, and yet she had still found flowers on her pillow last night accompanied with a sweet if somewhat awkward poem. How was anyone supposed to concentrate on getting their work done with such distractions? Would they just allow themselves to moon over each other while Corypheus took over Thedas? 

Two guards stood outside Cullen’s tent talking with each other loudly. The tent flap was down even though it was morning. She stomped over to the guards.

“Seeker Pentaghast!” the guards cried out snapping to attention.

“The Inquisitor - is she with the Commander?” Cassandra snarled.

“Yes, Seeker.” Miller replied.

Cassandra made a disgusted noise and pushed past the guards. Before they could protest, Cassandra had lifted the tent flap and marched inside the tent. Her eyes fell on Evelyn and Cullen who were fast asleep on their sides with their foreheads touching. It was a sweetly innocent picture with Cullen’s arm draped over Evelyn’s waist and Evelyn’s hand resting on his cheek their bodies nearly making the outline of a heart. Cassandra briefly considered leaving them to rest because they looked so peaceful and neither of them slept well with any regularity.

_That dwarf is making you soft_ she chided herself and then cleared her throat loudly. Cullen awoke first jumping to action and looking for his sword. Evelyn’s eyes fluttered and then Cassandra saw her throw up a barrier. Around the same time, they both realized that they weren’t under attack. Cullen chuckled a good morning to Cassandra while Evelyn flipped her the bird. _Very juvenile, Inquisitor._

“In case neither of you remember, we are at war and camped outside an active battlefield. Your fraternization is not providing a good example for the soldiers. I can understand it at Skyhold or when we are on a small patrol, but the bulk of Inquisition forces are here as well as troops from Ferelden, Orlais, and the Deep Roads. You must be more professional.” Cassandra urged.

Cullen looked chastened and was about to apologize, but Evelyn was having none of it. Sitting up and tossing her messy hair out of her eyes, she stared Cassandra down. From the tension, he surmised there was more to this exchange than he was privy.

Evelyn was the first to speak. “Cassandra, stop fighting it, and just allow yourself to be happy.”

Cassandra retorted, “The world hinges on our actions. We face death at every turn, Inquisitor.”

“So we should avoid the things that make life worth living? The peril we face changes nothing, Cassandra.”

“It changes everything, Inquisitor.” Cassandra started to leave the tent and then spoke. “Varric brought me flowers, and he wrote me a poem. Me... a poem. It was awful, but that isn’t the point. He did it because he knew I would find it romantic. And either one of us could be dead tomorrow.”

“Unlikely. You’ll be fighting with me. Have you seen how awesome I am?” Evelyn kidded.

“Deflect with humor all you want. The precariousness of our situation makes such entanglements unwise.” Cassandra threw back.

“That’s all the more reason to be honest with your feelings. I’ve never regretted telling or showing someone they mattered to me. Its the things left undone or unsaid that haunt me.” Evelyn advised.

Cassandra sighed, “I will consider your words, Inquisitor. Please consider mine about fraternization as well.”

“I’ll think about it.” Evelyn agreed.

Cassandra nodded with satisfaction and left Evelyn and Cullen to get ready.

Evelyn was running a brush through her hair when Cullen leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Fraternization is only a problem if you’re caught. Just a thought, Inquisitor.” 

“Is this heresy coming from my precious chantry boy? I guess I can check ‘corrupting the moral authority of an ex-templar’ off my list.” Evelyn teased.

“You could have checked that one off months ago, Ev.” Cullen said as he finished getting dressed. “Are you staying for morning reports?”

“No, as soon as your soldiers appear, I’m leaving. I’ll just have to listen to you say everything again at the Council meeting otherwise.”

“Fair enough.” Cullen answered. “Anyway, am I to gather that Cassandra and Varric are becoming more serious?”

“Definitely. I think that little fraternization speech was as much for her ears as ours.”

“Are you implying that they’ve... _been_ together? Forget I asked that. It is none of my concern.” Cullen stammered.

“Okay.” Evelyn chirped.

Cullen stood silent for a moment. “So...”

“Yes, Commander?” Evelyn responded.

“Are you really not going to tell me?”

“You said it was none of your concern.” Evelyn reminded.

“Well, it isn’t. But I’m still curious.” Cullen admitted. 

“No one knows for sure, but their behavior has become increasingly suspicious. Cassandra was asking me about our methods of birth control. She claimed that she wanted to make sure we were being prudent.”

“That’s hilarious. My father used the same word - prudent - when inquiring about the same thing.”

“What do you mean your father was asking about our contraceptive use?” Evelyn asked with horror.

“That was one part of his talk to me in the barn.”

Evelyn turned beet red. “Maker, no! Please tell me that you’re teasing me.”

Cullen was flummoxed. “Ev, he heard you joking about me sleeping with you. What else was he to assume?”

“I’m going to die now.”

“You’re being silly.”

“Nope. If dying from embarrassment is possible, then I’m going to do it now.”

“It isn’t as if we’re teenagers. Most people our age have children.”

“Putting pressure on me about kids is not helping, Cullen.”

“What? No, I just meant that most twenty-five year old women are married with at least one child.”

“So now I’m a slutty spinster. Phenomenal.”

“That would make a pretty good tavern name - The Slutty Spinster. What do you think of it instead of ‘Herald’s Rest’?” Cullen joked.

“You aren’t funny.”

“Not even a little?” 

“Maybe a little.”


End file.
